Accepting a PTSD diagnosis?

[Not Alone]

Everything is so much harder than it should be. 

[Anjulie]

Let us know if you find the right word!

I'll do that!

[Anjulie]

 I've been thinking about a word in German, and it's translation into English is "marked" ("gezeichnet"). I don't know if I translated it properly. It's a word I don't disclose lightly, but I want to share it anyway. There's a lot of hurt in that word for me, and thats why it feels right.
In essence, I mean that it's in the same corner with post traumatic.
Still, it's not the final say.

I think that the word or sentence could be a different one for everyone. That's what you want to express about yourself. And I guess mine will change over time.
With my word, I want to say "look at me, look what you've done!". Maybe you want to say something different, like "I'm not weak".
These are just thoughts.

[Blueberry]

It may feel weak to me from time to time, to feel like I'm struggling so much, but struggling doesn't make me weak - it makes me a fighter. 💪

from one where the fight has gone out. But it will come back.

[Jazzy]

Thanks for sharing Anjulie. I'm not too sure how the translation would go, I know there can be a lot of extra/hidden meaning in a word, but I like your explanation. I think you are right that we all have our own, based on where we are in our healing journey.



For some reason, the posts on this thread have made me look at having PTSD in a different way. I've always felt weak because the symptoms have been overwhelming for the most part, but after reading all this, I got the mental image of a boxer. It might be easier to hurt a boxer when he is already in a fight, but I wouldn't dare call that boxer weak. He is regularly fighting and training; endangering himself, while building up physical qualities like strength, speed, and stamina. Of course the boxer would be in better physical shape than most people would, and able to withstand a lot more punishment (when not busy fighting someone else).

Not sure if that makes sense, and I feel a bit pretentious for saying it, but I think mentally we are like boxers and CPTSD is our regular opponent.

[Anjulie]

I like the image of a boxer very much, jazzy. I'm glad that your image of yourself could change 

[Three Roses]

Wow, I really love your boxer analogy! We are fighters, in the ring with cptsd, bobbing and weaving, striking when there's an opening, fists up for protection while we wait for the next opportunity to knock cptsd down another notch and take another step forward into our healing. Love it! Thanks!